Jab at Jeb? Jindal Slams Common Core Ads Running in Iowa

Bobby Jindal continued to take aim at controversial Common Core education standards by slamming ads being aired in Iowa defending the program and its supporters, primarily one of the front-runners in the Republican presidential primary.

"I've heard the ads. They can run all the ads they want telling us why they should have control of education … and that parents aren't smart enough to know what's best for their kids. They can do that. But I wouldn't bet against the parents," Jindal told BuzzFeed in an interview.

"Clearly, the folks that are for Common Core have a lot of money," Jindal added. "Good for them. I still put my money on the moms and dads."

Common Core is a set of education standards in math and English language arts for kids in grades K-12. The standards explain what a student should know by the end of each grade level, according to CoreStandards.org.

Although the ads, which are being paid for by the nonprofit group the Collaborative for Student Success, do not tout the record of former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush, they are being aired on the heels of Bush's recent statewide tour of the Hawkeye State in which he remained firm in his support of Common Core.

"Raising expectations and having accurate assessments of where kids are is essential for success, and I'm not going to back down on that," Bush said during a congressional fundraiser in suburban Des Moines, The New York Times reported.

The standards, which have been adopted in more than 40 states, are viewed by Jindal and other conservatives as federal overreach.

A September 2014 Gallup survey found that 58 percent of Republicans view Common Core negatively compared to just 23 percent of parents who identify as Democrats.

Asked why opposition to the standards has increased among Republicans in the last year, Bush told reporters in Iowa that he knows what he believes and "I believe in higher standards that develop critical thinking skills."

Jindal is one of those conservatives who have changed position on Common Core. As Louisiana governor, Jindal oversaw the adoption of Common Core in his state, but began to sour on it last year and is now a vocal opponent, even filing a lawsuit against the Obama administration over the standards, according to Politico.

Some see Jindal's recent conversion as merely political opportunism.

Campbell Brown, the founder of the Partnership for Educational Justice and a former CNN and NBC News anchor, penned a February Washington Post column criticizing Jindal and other Republican potential presidential contenders, including New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie and Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker, for "pandering" to conservatives by professing their recent dislike of the controversial reform.

"In April 2013, I interviewed Jindal at an education conference in Baton Rouge. Back then, Jindal was a passionate proponent of Common Core, whose development was driven by the nation's governors and which had been adopted by most every state, including Louisiana. Jindal made a strong case that day for how vital the standards were to improving education in his state," she wrote.

"His big reversal came when he began openly exploring a presidential run," asserted Brown.

Whether his opposition is driven by politics or by what critics see as a failed program, Jindal has not stepped away from his campaign to stop the standards.

In a February tweet, Jindal urged voters to sign an online petition "to stop Common Core if you think a top-down, one-size-fits-all approach to education is wrong."

Bobby Jindal continued to take aim at controversial Common Core education standards by slamming ads being aired in Iowa defending the program and its supporters, primarily one of the front-runners in the Republican presidential primary.